Phonograph-horn.



G. BENJAMIN '& w. HANDLEY:

PHONOGRAPH HORN.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22 1908. 91 7,404, Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

e. BENJAMIN & w. HANDLEY. PHONOGRAPH HORN.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22; 1908.

91 7,404: Patented Apr. 6, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BEXJAllllX, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND WILLIAM HANDLEY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

PHONO GR APH-HORN.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, Gnonun BENJAMIN and WlLLLiM Hunter, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, respectively, have invented certain new and useful li'npro vements in Phonogra )h-l-lorns, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to the production of a horn foluse in graphophones or phonographs and is'dcsigned e pccially to overcome the serious objection of the metallic sound common to many horns; to provide a horn very light in weight and at the same time very durable.

In the accompanying drawing is shown in Fgure 1 a side view, and in Fig. 2 a sectional View of a horn made in accordance with our invention. Fig. 3 represents a sectional view of a horn having a sound box. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the bridge.

7 We have found that it is exceedingly difficult to produce a horn which will not interfere in any way with the sound produced by shown at 5.

the machine and we have aimed to avoid the metallic or screeching sound common to metallic horns and to also prevent the absorption or flattening of the sound as when any form of wood is used and in our experiments we have discovered that the use of horse hair produces the most erfect tones, provided it is arranged with t e strands of horse hair longitudinally of the horn.

In carrying out our invention we utilize an outer lining for the horn, which may be paper as shown at 1, or this may be of silk to give a finish to the exterior of the horn, or we may use silk over the paper, but in all cases the paper is thin for the sake of lightness. N ext to the paper or sill: exterior, we place the horse hair layer, the strands of the horse hair extending longitudinally of the horn and then in order to protect the horse hair from abrasion, we place over it a layer of thin paper, muslin or sill; so that while protection may be given to the horse hair layer, the benefit derived from the horse hair or horse hair cloth will not be lost. The end of the horn may be stiffened by a metallic rim as The hair cloth layer is indicated at 2 and the inner layer of paper, si 1: or muslin at 3. We have found that the hair cloth lining or layer is non-absorbent and does not tend to flatten the sounds, but has a tendency to carry them and to deliver them as they issue from the machine in per- Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed August 22, 1903.

Patented April 6, 1909.

Serial No. 449,808.

feet tones. We believe that strands made of animal substances, such as cat-gut, would answer precisely the same purpose, but it n cold be too expensive to be used and hence we find in the hair cloth a material perfectly answering the purpose and having the merit of economy, as well.

We also provide a sound box in connection with the horn formed as described to increase the volume and purity of tone, this consisting, as shown in Fig. 3 of an outer wall 6 made up of the layers of paper and horse hair, or hair cloth, this r; all being laid over a bridge 7, the-inner edge of which rests upon the trail of the horn proper. This bridge is preferably of annular form having openings at 8. In front of this bridge and toward the small end of the horn we provide openings 9 through the wall of the horn through which the interior of the sound box or chamber communicates with the interior of the horn for the emission of the sound. These openings are preferably of S shape, similar to those employed adjacent the bridge in a violin, and in fact our sound box produces, in a measure, a violin effect in softening the tones and increasing the volume thereof, the horse hair strings being laid over the bridge and being vibrated by the sound waves to give the desired effect. We do not limit ourselves to the form of bridge or shape of the sound box.

We prefer to build up our horn of a series of tapered strips of material the general form of which is shown in Fig. 3 between the dotted lines 10. The strips of paper and of horse hair cloth are each of this form, 'i. e. tapered to conform to the flare of the horn, and when superimposed they are held together by uniting strips of paper or other material pasted or cemented over the joints of the tapered layers as indicated at 11f It will be understood that the inner and outer layers are separated from each other by the in erposed hair cloth, and the interstices of this hair cloth are free, that is to say, the hair cloth is not embedded in any body or holding material.

What .re claim is 1. A graphophone horn composed of a plurality of separate layers of material, including a layer of hair cloth, said hair cloth having its interstices free, substantially as described.

. 2. A graphophone horn composed of a plurality of layers of material, including an outer finishing layer, an inner layer and an therein surrounding the said main Wall, with interposed layer of hair cloth, said layers of hair cloth extending over the bridge and 25 material being separate, and. the hair cloth forming a part of the outer Wall, substanhavin its interstices free, substantially as tially as described. 5 descri ed. 7. A phonograph horn having a chamber 3. Agraphophone horn composed of layers extending around its main Wall, said mainof material, including a layer of hair cloth a all and the outer wall of said chamber each 3o laid against the other layer and having its havingalayer of hair cloth therein, and an ininterstices free, the strands of hair running terposed bridge, substantially as described.

10 longitudinally or lengths ise of the horn, sub- 8. A phonograph horn composed of inner stantially as described. and outer layers of material separated by a l. A graphophone horn having a chamber layer of hair cloth. 35

surrounding the main wall of the horn, with 9. A phonograph horn composed of inner an opening leading into the interior of" the and outer layers of material separated by a 5 horn and closed throughout its outer Wall, layer of hair cloth in which the strands of substantially as described. hair cloth run lengthwise of the horn.

5. A phonograph horn having a bridge In testimony whereof, We ailix our signa- 4o surrounding its main hall and a chamber tures in presence of two -Witnesses.

surrounding the main v all of the horn, with I GEORGE BENJAMIN. 20 its outer Wall extendingover the bridge, sub- NILLIAM HANDLEY.

stantially as described. Witnesses:

6. A phonograph horn having a chamber JAMES R ANDERSON,

surrounding its main wall and with a bridge Louis D. OASNEB. 

